Self-measuring liquid dispenser



June 18, 1940. WALSTRQM 2,204,838

SELF-MEASURING LIQUID DISPENSER Filed April 15. 1939 Patented June 18, 1940 uivi'rso STATES was PATENT OFFHCE 8 Claims.

The invention relates to pumps and more particularly, it relates to positive-measuring pumps for use in dispensing liquids from containers such as jugs, bottles, carboys, and the like into a glass or similar receptacle.

An object of the invention is the provision of a pump of more simple and eifective operation than pumps of this class now in use, and which is easily operable to pump a constant measured quantity of liquid during each stroke.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a positive-measuring pump of the kind described which is easily adjustable for operation to increase or decrease in a fixedor definite ratio the amount of liquid dispensed during each stroke of the pump.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an improved measuring pump of the kind described which is durable, simple, and economical to manufacture and install and which is satisfactory for its intended purpose.

Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown and described will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein given.

To this end, my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts herein shown and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing wherein like reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts and wherein the pump is illustrated as installed in a bottle;

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional View through the device;

Fig. 2 is a View along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a View along the line 3-'3 of Fig. 1 showing the details of a discharge valve mechanism;

Fig 4 is a view along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 showing the details of an inlet valve mechanism;

and v Fig. 5 is a view along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 drawn to a larger scale to more clearly show the details of construction at the bottom of the device.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the device is shown as installed in and operable for delivery of liquid in-measured quantities from a bottle, jug, carboy, or similar container shown fragmentarily in dotted lines in Fig. l and generally designated by the numeral ID.

The device comprises a lower plunger wall or casing H, a tube l2 and a'cork or stopper l3 closelyfitting. inside .the neck of the bottle l0 and providing a support for the device with the lower end of the device in close proximity to the bottom of the bottle lll- A cap or closure member I4, mounted on and fastened to the top of the tube I2 in any suitable manner to maintain it in place, is adapted as a guide for a plunger rod I5. The tube I2 is fastened in any suitable manner to the cork or stopper l3 whereby the device is adapted to be mounted on and held in operative position in the bottle it] by the wedging m engagement of the stopper with the neck of the bottle. While the device is shown as removable from the bottle by withdrawal of the stopper l3 it is understood that the device may be locked in position by any suitable meansconnecting the bottle with the stopper to prevent removal of the latter.

The tube I2 is preferably of smaller diameter than and is connected With the lower plunger wall or casing H inany suitable manner to pro- 20 vide a sealed joint. The tube 12 is shown as projecting slightly into the casing H, the tube and casing being rigidly connected by a closely fitting annular member or ring H3. The ring it is shown as fastened to the tube H by indenta- Z tions or projections ll and as fastened to the tube l2 by soldering or the like. The lower end of the casing H is closed by a disc it closely fitting and fastened to the casing in any suitable manner such as by indentations or projections I9 adapted 30 to hold the disc fixedly in position and to withstand pressure exerted thereon in the operation of the device as hereinafter more fully described.

The interior of the casing ll provides a pump chamber 20 having a discharge conduit con- 35 nected with its lower end and extending vertically along and outside of the casing H and tube 12. The discharge conduit comprises an upper tube 22, connected With a lower tube 2i by a sleeve 23. The tube 22 extends through the stopper 40 I3 and terminates in a lateral projection suitably curved or extended to provide a discharge spout 24.

The plunger rod 15 extends into the pump chamber 20 to provide a mounting for a piston plunger 25. which is normally held in retracted position, as shown in Fig. 1, by means of a compression spring 26. The plunger 25 comprises a number of assembled elements adapting it as a close fitting piston and further description there- 50 of is omitted as being unnecessary to an understanding of the invention. 7

An inlet check valve, provided in the disc I8, consists of a port 21, a ball 28 resting upon a valve seat 29 and adapted thereby to close the 5' port, and a plurality of upper detent or stop members 30 for maintaining the ball within the port. A discharge or outlet check valve is provided in the sleeve 23 connecting the spaced apart contiguous ends of the discharge tubes 2| and 22. The sleeve 23 has a fluid-tight connection with the tubes 2| and 22 and the outlet check valve comprises a ball 3| normally seated on the convergent upper end 32 of the tube 2I. The lower end of the tube 22 is convergent as shown to serve as a stop for the ball 3i and is provided with a plurality of longitudinal recesses 33 to permit flow of the liquid upwardly past the ball when it in elevated position.

A knob 34, mounted on the upper projecting end of the rod I5, is provided for manual actuation of the rod to move the piston valve 25 down wardly against the resistance of the spring 26.

The inlet check valve is normally closed, and as a result, downward movement of the plunger 25 by actuation of the rod I5 will cause the liquid contained in the chamber 20 to flow through the tubes 2I and 22. Upward 01' return movement of the rod I5 and plunger 25 to retracted position opens the inlet check valve and permits inflow of liquid as the plunger rises in the chamher.

The device is normally operable to discharge a fixed or measured quantity of liquid through the spout 24 by each actuation downwardly of the rod I5. For this purpose, a detent or lug 35 is mounted on the rod I5, the lug being so positioned that it normally strikes the closure member I4 and thereby stops movement of the rod from its fully retracted position at a point such that a pre-determined constant or measured amount of liquid will be delivered through the spout 24. Upon the instant of completion of the downward stroke of the plunger 25, the discharge check valve is closed by the automatic seating of the ball 3I on the upper end of the tube 2I whereby back-flow is prevented and the liquid in the tube 22 is maintained at a level just short of overflowing into the spout 24.

.The rod I5 is slidable in an aperture 36 provided by the closure member I4, the aperture being generally cylindrical at one end whereby the rod is maintained in axial alignment with the casing II and the tube I2. It may be desirable a times to deliver a measured quantity of liquid in excess of that normally delivered by actuation of the rod I5 to bring the lug 35 into contact with the closure or cap member I4, and for this purpose, the aperture 26 is provided with a radial extension slightly larger than the projection 35. By rotating the rod I5 to bring the projection 35 into vertical alignment with the aperture 36, the rod I5 may be moved downwardly until the knob 34 contacts with the cap or closure member I4. The resulting increased length of stroke of the rod I5 and piston 25 correspondingly increases the amount of liquid discharged from the spout 24. The amountof liquid discharged by the longer piston stroke is determined by the spacing of the knob 34 from the projection 25 and this spacing may be such that exactly twice as much liquid will be dispensed through the spout 24 as is so dispensed when the rod is stopped by engagement of the projection 35 with the cap 24. For example, if one-half an ounce is delivered by the short measured stroke, the knob may be so positioned on the rod that exactly one ounce will be delivered by the longer measured stroke. Obviously, the relative positions of the knob 34 and the projection 35 may be such that the ratio of the measured quantities delivered by the short and long strokes respectively of the piston is greater or less than one half if desired.

An opening 31 is provided in the tube I2 to permit free flow of air into the interior of the bottle I 0 through the aperture 36 and thereby avoids any possibility of air locking of the device.

The stopper I3 provides a support for the device with its lower end in close proximity to the bottom of the bottle in order that the entire contents of the bottle may be evacuated in measured quantities by operation of the pump. Since the stopper may yield slightly with use, it is possible that the lower end of the device may 00- casionally rest upon the bottom of the bottle and because of this contingency, the bottom face of the disc I8 is preferably made concave as shown and provided with radial grooves 38 which permit free flow and substantially complete evacuation of the liquid through the valve port 2'! in the event the device should be seated on the bottom of the bottle. A metal cap 38 is mounted on the closure I3 for ornateness.

Thus, it will be seen that I have provided a liquid dispenser of the kind described comprising novel means for successively evacuating constant quantities of liquid from a container in which the dispenser is mounted, and that the device may be easily and quickly manipulated to adapt it to successively deliver constant quantities of liquid having a pre-determined ratio to said first mentioned quantities.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence, I do not Wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts herein shown and described or uses mentioned.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: U

1. In a liquid dispenser of the kind described, a closed container having a top filler opening, a closure member for said opening, a tube positioned in the container and having its upper end terminating in the closure member, a closed casing providing a pump chamber connected with said tube, a piston reciprocally movable in said chamber, a plunger rod having its lower end connected with said piston and its upper end projecting from said tube, a discharge conduit having one end opening into the lower end of said chamber and its other end providing a discharge spout adjacent said closure member, an inlet check valve at the bottom of said casing, an outlet check valve in said conduit, and stop means selectively operable for limiting said piston strokes to a plurality of permissible maximum lengths whereby the amount of liquid delivered through, the conduit by a selected maximum downward stroke bears a constant ratio to the amount delivered by the others of said plurality of maximum lengths of piston strokes.

2. In a liquid dispenser of the kind described, a closed container having a top filleropening, a removable closure member for said opening, a tube positioned in the container and having its upper end terminating the closure member, a closed casing providing a pump chamber connected with said tube, a piston reciprocally movable in said chamber, resilient means yieldingly holding said piston in the upper endof said chamher, a plunger rod having its lower end conjecting through said closure member to providenected with said piston and its upper end projecting from said tube, a discharge conduit opening into the lower end of said chamber and proa spout, an inlet check valve at the bottom of said casing, an outlet checkvalve in said conduit, and stop means selectively operable to limit said piston strokes to one or the other of two predetermined lengths whereby the amount of liquid delivered through the conduit by a downward stroke of one length is a constant and the amount of liquid sodelivered by each of thepiston strokes of the other length is likewise a constant and the constant amounts so delivered bear a fixed ratio the one to the other.

In a liquid dispenser of the kind described, a closed container having a top filler opening, a removable closure member for said opening, a tube positioned in the container and having its upper end terminating in the closure member, a closed casing providing a pump chamber connected-"with said tube and having its lower end i face in proximity to the bottom of the container, a piston reciprocally movable in said chamber, a plunger rod having its lower end connected with said piston and its upper end projecting from said tube, a discharge conduit opening into the lower end of said chamber and projecting through said closure member to provide a spout, an outlet check valve in said conduit, an inlet check valve concentric with the lower end of said casing, the lower end of said casing being bounded by a concave face and provided with a plurality of radial grooves convergent towards said inlet check valve.

4. In a liquid dispenser of the kind described, a closed container having a top filler opening, a removable closure member for said opening, a tube positioned in the container and having its upper end terminating in the closure member, a cap member forming a closure for the tube and providing an aperture, a closed casing providing a pump chamber connected with said tube and having its lower end face in proximity to the bottom of the container, a piston reciprocally movable in said chamber, a resilient member yieldingly holding the piston in elevated position, a plunger rod having its lower end connected with said piston and its upper end extending through said aperture in the cap member, a knob mounted on the projecting end of said rod and forming a stop limiting the downward movement of the plunger rod, a lug mounted on the rod and also providing a stop in spaced relation to the knob, said aperture having a radial extension adapted to permit said lug to be moved therethrough when in vertical alignment therewith, a discharge conduit opening into the lower end of said chamber and projecting through said closure member to provide a spout, an outlet check valve in said conduit, an inlet check valve concentric with the lower end of said casing, the lower end of said casing being bounded by a concave face and provided with a plurality of radial grooves convergent towards said inlet check valve.

5. In a liquid dispenser of the kind described, a closed container having a top filler opening, a removable closure member for said opening, a tube positioned in the container and having its upper end terminating in the closure member, a closed casing providing a pump chamber connected with said tube, a piston reciprocally movable in said chamber, resilient means yieldingly holding said piston in the upper end of said chamber, a cap member providing a closure for said tube, a plunger rod having its lower end connected-with said piston and its upper end projecting through said cap member, a-discharge conduit opening into the lower end of said chamber and projectingthrough said closure member to provide a spout, an inlet check valve at the bottom of said casing, an outlet check valve in said conduit, and a lug on the projecting end of said rod adapted to engage said cap member and stop downward movement of the rod at a fixed point whereby successive strokes of said piston are of uniform length and the amount of liquid delivered through the conduit by each downward stroke is a constant.

6. In a liquid dispenser of the kind described, a closed container having atop filler opening, a removable closure member for said opening, a tube positioned in the container and having its upper end terminating in the closure member, a closed casing providing a pump chamber connected with said tube, a piston reciprocally movable in said chamber, resilientmeans' yieldingly holding said piston in the upper end of said chamber, a cap member forming a closure for said tube and providing an aperture, a plunger rod having its lower end connected with said piston and its upper end projecting through the aperture in said cap member, a knob on the end of said plunger rod, a discharge conduit opening into the lower end of said chamber and projecting through said closure member to provide a spout, an inlet check valve at the bottom of said casing, an outlet check valve in said conduit, and a lug on the projecting end of said rod adapted to engage said cap member and stop downward movement of the rod at a fixed point whereby successive strokes of said piston are of uniform length and the amount of liquid delivered through the conduit by each downward stroke is a constant, said aperture in the cap member having a radial extension through which said lug is movable when in vertical alignment therewith, said resilient means being yieldable to permit downward movement of the plunger rod to a position where said knob engages the cap member and thereby serves as a stop.

*7. In a liquid dispenser of the kind described, a closed container having a top filler opening, a removable closure member for said opening, and means carried by said closure member for successively efiecting discharge of liquid from the container in equal measured quantities, said means comprising a tube positioned in the container and having its upper end terminating in the closure member, a closed casing providing a pump chamber connected with said tube, and having its lower end face in proximity to the bottom of the container, a piston reciprocally movable in said chamber, resilient means yieldingly holding said piston in the upper end of said chamber, a cap member providing a closure for said tube, a plunger rod having its lower end connected with said piston and its upper end projecting through said cap member, a discharge conduit opening into the lower end of said chamber extending alongside said tube and casing and projecting through said closure member to provide a spout, a check valve in said conduit, an inlet check valve concentric with the lower end of said casing, the lower end of said casing being bounded by a concave face and provided with a plurality of radial grooves convergent towards said inlet check valve, and a lug on the projecting end of said rod adapted to engage said cap member and stop downward movement of the rod at a fixed point whereby successive strokes of said'piston are of uniform length and the amount of liquid delivered through the conduit by each downward stroke is a constant.

8. In a liquid dispenser of the kind described, a closed container having a top filler opening, a removable closure member for said opening, a tube positioned in the container and. having its upper end terminating in the closure member, a closed casing providing a pump chamber connected with said tube, and having its lower end face inproximity to the bottom of the container, a piston reciprocally movable in said chamber, resilient means yieldingly holding said piston in the upper end of, said chamber, a cap member forming a closure for said tube and providing an aperture, 3. plunger rod having its lower end connected with said piston and its upper end projecting through said aperture on the cap member, a knob on the upper end of said plunger rod, a discharge conduit opening into the lower end of said chamber and extending alongside said tube and casing and projecting through said closure member to provide a spout, a check valve in said conduit, an inlet check valve concentric with the lower end of said casing, the lower end of said casing being bounded by a concave face and provided with a plurality of radial grooves convergent towards said inlet check valve, and a lug on the projecting end of said rod in spaced relation to the knob, said lug being adapted to engage said cap member and stop downward movement of the rod at a fixed point whereby successive strokes of said piston are of uniform length and the amount of liquid delivered through the conduit by each downward stroke is a constant, said aperture having a radial extension through which said lug is movable when in vertical alignment with the aperture, said resilient means being yieldable to permit downward movement of the plunger rod to a position wherein the knob engages the cap member.

ADOLPH D. WALSTROM. 

